How the GMAT Is Scored

For those who wish to attend a reputable school to obtain their MBA, a high GMAT score is essential. Adequate preparation is extremely important, but taking the time to understand how the test is scored and what those numbers actually mean is something that every test taker should do.

The GMAT test consists of three sections: verbal, quantitative, and analytical writing. Only the first two are scored on the same day that the test is written; the analytical writing section is scored by both a person and a computer program, so the results take a little longer.

The verbal and quantitative sections are scored separately, with the lowest possible score being zero and the highest possible score being sixty. The score for each section is calculated based upon the number of questions answered and the number of questions answered correctly. The questions for each section vary in difficulty, which also affects the overall score. Not surprisingly, answering more difficult questions correctly will raise a test taker's score more significantly than answering easier questions correctly.

The results from the two sections are then combined to deliver a total score, which can range from between 200 to 800. Obviously, a higher score is better, but it is important to note that these scores are also assigned percentile rankings. This involves looking at the scores of all other individuals who took the test, then determining how an individual's score compares to the overall results. For example, a person who scored 790 may be assigned a percentile ranking of 99, meaning their score is in the top one percent of all GMAT test scores. A percentile ranking of 10, on the other hand, means that 90% of the people who took the test performed better. The higher the percentile, the more favourably the score will be looked upon by admissions committees.

The writing section is scored by an electronic program and also by a human. If the two scores are very different, a person will make the final scoring decision. Scores for the writing section can range from between 0 to 6. Like the other two sections, this score is also converted to a percentile. Generally, test takers tend to do quite well on this section, so they must obtain a very high score on this section if they wish to be in the 90-99 percentile range.